How important is the warm-up in a 60-minute indoor cycling class? Far more than you might imagine! Too often instructors don’t give the warm-up the attention it deserves. In part 2 of this series, you will learn the physiology behind warming up. I give you an analogy that I think will greatly enhance your understanding of why having “all hands on deck” is so important to functioning properly during your event or training session!Read more…

I used to race mountain bikes years ago, but if I knew then what I know now about proper warm-ups I would have been much better prepared and probably would have performed better! This article is part 1 of a 6-part series on effective warm-ups for cycling classes. The purpose of this first article is to get you to pose the question to yourself, “Are you warming up properly in your classes? What can you be doing better?” (Originally posted in 2016, this series has been updated with new information and tips) Read more…

Last year, I was in New York and had the pleasure of taking Michael Reilly’s class at Equinox. Michael has been an instructor since 1997 and is one of the original members of the Indoor Cycling Association (thank you, Michael!). It was the day before one of the big American holidays that serves as an entrée to summer, Memorial Day. Michael did a Memorial Day ride that was very moving and I wanted to share these videos with you. Pay attention to his coaching—he’s got a great way of engaging his audience.Read more…